Isaiah 52 8

Isaiah 52:8 kjv

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.

Isaiah 52:8 nkjv

Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion.

Isaiah 52:8 niv

Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.

Isaiah 52:8 esv

The voice of your watchmen ? they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.

Isaiah 52:8 nlt

The watchmen shout and sing with joy,
for before their very eyes
they see the LORD returning to Jerusalem.

Isaiah 52 verses

Isaiah 52 8 Meaning

The watchmen on Zion's walls cry out with a unified voice, a resounding shout of joy, because they see the Lord returning and restoring Jerusalem. Their individual voices blend into one proclamation of gladness as they witness God's immediate intervention.

Isaiah 52 8 Context

This verse is found in Isaiah chapter 52, which speaks of God's impending redemption and the restoration of His people, particularly the return from Babylonian exile. The immediate context leading up to verse 8 describes Zion's barrenness and captivity, then shifts to a declaration of Zion awakening and clothing herself in strength and beauty. Chapter 51 depicts God comforting His people. This verse specifically highlights the joyful anticipation and pronouncement of God's immediate action by the watchmen. The broader historical context is the prophetic announcement of deliverance, which has future implications for the ultimate redemption through the Messiah.

Isaiah 52 8 Word Analysis

• "Your": Possessive pronoun, indicating that these watchmen belong to Zion or are its appointed guardians.
• "watchmen":
  • Hebrew: tsophim (צוֹפִים) - plural of tsoph (צוֹף).
  • Meaning: Sentinels, those who watch from a vantage point, observers, scouts.
  • Significance: They are responsible for alertness and announcing what they see, often in times of danger or anticipation. They symbolize spiritual alertness and proclamation.
• "lift up":
  • Hebrew: nasa' (נָשָׂא) - a common verb with multiple meanings including to lift, carry, bear, raise, exalt.
  • Meaning: In this context, it means to raise one's voice.
  • Significance: It implies a significant, noticeable, and often joyful or urgent sound.
• "their": Possessive pronoun, referring back to the watchmen.
• "voice":
  • Hebrew: qol (קוֹל) - sound, noise, voice, utterance.
  • Meaning: The vocal expression of these watchmen.
  • Significance: Their communication.
• "together":
  • Hebrew: yachdav (יַחְדָּו) - adverb meaning together, unitedly, jointly.
  • Meaning: Acting or speaking in unison.
  • Significance: Emphasizes unity and shared experience in their proclamation, indicating a corporate testimony of faith and observation.
• "shall": Future tense auxiliary verb.
• "cry":
  • Hebrew: ru'a (רוּעַ) - to shout, cry aloud, sound an alarm, break forth.
  • Meaning: To shout or make a loud, joyful sound.
  • Significance: Expresses exultation and communal joy.
• "out":
  • Hebrew: ra'an (רַעַן) - an intensive suffix suggesting an outward or full expression. Often used with ru'a to intensify the shouting.
  • Meaning: Outwardly, with full force.
  • Significance: Highlights the enthusiastic and unreserved nature of their cry.
• "for": Preposition introducing the reason for their cry.
• "they": Pronoun referring to the watchmen.
• "see":
  • Hebrew: ra'ah (רָאָה) - to see, behold, perceive, discern.
  • Meaning: To witness directly.
  • Significance: They are not relaying a distant report but witnessing the event themselves.
• "with": Preposition indicating accompaniment or the means by which they see.
• "the": Definite article.
• "eyes":
  • Hebrew: ayin (עַיִן) - eye.
  • Meaning: Their literal vision.
  • Significance: Directly seeing with their own eyes the event.
• "the": Definite article.
• "eyes":
  • Hebrew: ayin (עַיִן) - eye.
  • Meaning: Their literal vision.
  • Significance: Directly seeing with their own eyes the event.
• "the": Definite article.
• "LORD":
  • Hebrew: Yehovah (יהוה) - The personal covenant name of God.
  • Meaning: God's self-revelation as the eternal, unchanging, covenant-keeping God.
  • Significance: Seeing the LORD Himself is the ultimate cause of rejoicing.
• "returning":
  • Hebrew: shuv (שׁוּב) - to turn, return, go back, restore.
  • Meaning: The act of turning back or returning.
  • Significance: Implies God's direct and personal return to His people and city.
• "to": Preposition indicating direction.
• "Zion":
  • Hebrew: tsiyon (צִיּוֹן) - Zion, often refers to Jerusalem or the people of Jerusalem.
  • Meaning: The holy city, the dwelling place of God, a symbol of God's presence and people.
  • Significance: The locus of God's redemptive action and the recipient of His return.

Isaiah 52 8 Bonus Section

The imagery of watchmen is potent in Scripture. They were responsible for vigilance and issuing warnings or calls to action. In this context, their role shifts from potential warning of an enemy to announcing the greatest news: the presence and return of God Himself. This mirrors the anticipation of those awaiting redemption in both Old and New Testaments. The singular act of "seeing" the Lord's return unites the watchers in a shared, overwhelming joy that erupts in unified vocalization. The prophetic fulfillment points beyond the return from exile to Christ's first advent and ultimately His glorious second coming, when His presence will be fully manifest.

Isaiah 52 8 Commentary

The watchmen, stationed on the walls of Zion, serve as a visual and prophetic metaphor. Their collective, unified shout of joy signifies the end of anxiety and the beginning of divine intervention. They are not merely announcing distant events but witnessing the tangible return of the Lord to His people. This immediate, direct sight of God's presence is the reason for their unreserved, exultant cry. The word "together" is key, showing a corporate testimony rather than individual praise. This return of the Lord to Zion signifies a reversal of fortunes, from desolation and captivity to presence and restoration, prefiguring Christ's redemption and His kingdom.